Cebu dancing inmates video makes Time list

The off-the-wall performance of 1,500 dancing inmates in Cebu has been listed by Time Magazine as among the ten most watchable Internet videos for 2007. Time placed the inmates's rendition of the Michael Jackson mega-hit Thriller as fifth on its exclusive list that includes global personalities such as Britney Spears and Hillary Clinton. It said its chosen 10 were the "most popular viral videos" of the years, or the "web clips we couldn't stop watching." In its commentary, Time Magazine described the Cebu inmates performance as depicting "Orange-jumpsuited accused murderers, rapists and drug dealers paid homage to Michael Jackson's Thriller in a dance performance filmed at the Cebu Detention and Rehabilitation Center in the Philippines." "Questions arose about whether the 1,500 Filipino jailhouse rockers were enjoying some well-choreographed creative expression or suffering abuse at the hands of prison officials with MTV aspirations," it added. The magazine said the late American actor Vincent Price was right when he said that, "No mere mortal can resist the evil of the Thriller." The magazine took notice that the dance video has been downloaded more than nine million times. Other videos that made the Time Magazine list are: 1. Leave Britney Alone! – a teen gay sobs in defense of "a fallen pop princes." 18M downloads. 2. The Landlord – Featuring Will Ferrel in the 2:25 clip, this comic video was described as "funnier than 99% of all the YouTube videos" in the comedy category. 50M downloads. 3. Ms South Carolina Teen USA - a beauty contestant answers "why Americans are unable to locate the US on the map." 4. Hillary 1984 - a political "attack" ad, Hillary Clinton is depicted as "Big Brother" while Democratic voters were shown as "zombie-like followers." 5. Prison Inmates' Thriller Video 6. I Ran So Far - this satire shows a red-dress clad Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad singing atop a piano. He had denied there were homosexuals in Iran. 7. Can't Tase This - a Florida student is electroshocked with a taser at a forum for John Kerry. 8. Dan Rather Collar Up - Old video shows the veteran newscaster talking about "how to dress up for a rooftop broadcast." 9. Clark and Michael - a funny web series, Time says one can "think of it as The Office for the dubiously self-employed 20-something." 10. Daft Hands - an "impressive hand jive" with Daft Punk music in the background. - GMANews.TV